Any
reduction in abdominal fat is likely to have very positive effects on your metabolic health, longevity and drastically reduce your risk of chronic disease.
In one 12 week study, obese individuals who daily supplemented coconut oil into their diets had a
decrease in abdominal fat (13).
«These results suggest that, regardless of BMI, high fitness levels lead to a reduction
in abdominal fat mass and low - grade inflammation.»
Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center now have pinpointed a major inflammatory role for «natural killer» (NK) immune
cells in abdominal fat — a type of tissue strongly implicated in insulin resistance.
In the longitudinal study, published in the June 16 online issue of the journal Obesity, researchers examined whether lifestyle factors, such as diet and frequency of exercise, were associated with a five - year
change in abdominal fat of African Americans and Hispanic Americans, populations at a disproportionally higher risk for developing high blood pressure and diabetes and accumulating visceral fat.
Although applications for obesity treatments in humans are still a long way off, the results indicate a direction for further research: «Obviously, one possible starting point in combatting obesity could be to inhibit the inflammatory
response in abdominal fat while administering cGMP - stimulating active ingredients,» says Prof. Pfeifer to summarize the findings.
«Natural killer cells help to drive inflammation, insulin resistance: Study in mouse models of diabetes identifies key immune
mechanisms in abdominal fat.»
«Conversely, when we expanded the population of NK cells, we found that inflammation is increased,
mainly in the abdominal fat, and insulin resistance is worsened,» says Lee.
Working in mice that were put on high - fat diets to model diabetes, «we demonstrated that obesity increases the expression of pro-inflammatory
genes in abdominal fat, but not in other organs such as the liver or muscle, nor in subcutaneous fat,» says Jongsoon Lee, PhD, Assistant Investigator in Joslin's Section on Pathophysiology and Molecular Pharmacology and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Working with Steven Shoelson, MD, PhD, Senior Investigator in the Section on Pathophysiology and Molecular Pharmacology and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and other Joslin colleagues, Lee also discovered that in mice whose NK cells were removed,
inflammation in abdominal fat is suppressed, and, most importantly, insulin resistance is improved.
Emerging research shows that in some individuals (specifically young normal and overweight males and females), modest reductions
in abdominal fat arose from High Intensity exercise.
At the study's end, those given the Lactobacillus gasseri - enriched milk showed a significantly greater reduction
in abdominal fat compared to those given the placebo.
In a 2009 study published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, it was found that subjects who consumed acetic acid for 12 weeks experienced significant weight loss and
declines in abdominal fat, waist circumference, and triglycerides.
In fact, studies show that green tea, when paired with regular exercise, can lead to a 27.1 % reduction in body mass and a 36.6 %
decrease in abdominal fat mass.
«Additionally, we showed that obesity increases the number and activity of NK
cells in abdominal fat but not in other tissues,» says Lee, senior author on a paper published online in Cell Metabolism.
An experimental, randomized - controlled design was used to assess the effect of abdominal exercises on
changes in abdominal fat, waist circumference, and abdominal strength.
The results also showed that individuals following a Mediterranean diet also showed a better adherence with the calorie restricted diet, an increase in physical activity as well as a greater
reduction in abdominal fat.
In addition, there was a significant reduction
in abdominal fat: the average change was -9.9 percent with tesamorelin vs 6.6 percent with placebo.
Scientists have found an increased level of activity of the enzyme 11b hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11b HSD - 1)
in abdominal fat that they believe is the cause of the correlation between cortisol and abdominal fat.
«Diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids like those found in salmon can afford a greater reduction
in abdominal fat than a low - fat diet can,» says Christy Shatlock, registered dietitian at BistroMD, a doctor - designed meal delivery service.
«Twelve weeks of consuming a fermented milk product containing the Lactobacillus strain was associated with a 4.6 per cent reduction
in abdominal fat...».
The combination of a reduced - calorie diet and increased physical activity is recommended, because it produces weight loss that also may result in decreases
in abdominal fat and increases in cardiorespiratory fitness.
An increase *
in abdominal fat is another common symptom that men experience when they have too high levels of estrogen.